Research on Authenticity Identification and Physicochemical Properties of Various Commercially Available Lotus Rhizome Starch

ABSTRACT Lotus rhizome starch (LRS) is rich in nutrients and high price, yet the yield of LRS is relatively low compared with other source starch. Thus, unscrupulous merchants often adulterate LRS with other inexpensive starches, like potato starch. This study identified the authenticity of 10 commercially available LRS samples using optical microscopy and studied their physicochemical properties, including retrogradation and gelatinization properties. The results showed that there were three kinds of genuine LRS in samples, and the amylose content in adulterated LRS samples was higher than that in pure LRS, indicating that the amylose content of the starches used for adulteration was higher than that of LRS. Adulterated LRS were more prone to retrograde, exhibited a higher the proportion of sedimentation volume than genuine LRS. Besides, adulterated LRS had a higher gelatinization temperature and poorer freeze‐thaw stability compared to pure LRS. In summary, there were significant differences in quality between adulterated LRS products and pure LRS available on the market. These performance differences can explore the impact of the incorporation of other starches on the physicochemical properties and edibility of genuine LRS, and provide certain reference value for LRS adulteration detection technology and sustainable development of LRS industry.